Cultured Football #61
Cultured Football #61
Just realised that there are just a few weeks left of the current season to go. So I’m going to try enjoy it as much as I can. Good reading obviously helps me do just that.
Are paper football programmes on their way out?
By Bill Wilson for the BBC
This is not the first time that this question has been asked but, with an increasing number of clubs opting to stop printing them or shifting to a monthly magazine, perhaps it is the end of matchday programmes. Or is it?
Reading Time: 7 minutes
‘I’ve fought all my life to play football’
By Ed Aarons for The Guardian
Even though he ended up on the losing side, anyone who watched Liverpool take on Watford will have been impressed by the manner in which Hassane Kamara managed to keep Mo Salah quiet. The Ivory Coast left-back didn’t have an easy route to the top but, going by his recent performances, he will stay there regardless of what happens to Watford.
Reading Time: 4 minutes
When in Rome: Tammy Abraham’s Serie A Success Story
By Ashwin Raman for The Analyst
Tammy Abraham has enjoyed an excellent first season in Italy so far, one that could yet end with silverware. His performances and goals have won him admirers but at the back of people’s minds there will always be the question whether he is doing so well purely because he’s playing in a weaker league.
Reading Time: 8 minutes
H-Town United: An Unlikely Soccer Power Rises in Texas
By Tom Foster for Texas Monthly
This is a fantastic, off-the-beaten-track story about an American high-school and, particularly, its coach that has become an unlikely football powerhouse. I know that I shouldn’t say this but if you read just one of the articles shared this week, this should be the one.
Reading Time: 20 minutes
Transfer Gurus: Liverpool’s Michael Edwards
By Josh Hobbs for Analytics FC
There is a growing fascination over the people behind the scenes who make transfers happen. And none are as fascinating as the man who will be leaving Liverpool this summer, Michael Edwards, whose work is analysed in great detail here.
Reading Time: 9 minutes
And another thing…
Few teams have been as defined by one individual as the great Napoli side of the mid-to-late eighties was by Diego Armando Maradona. And yet there were other incredibly gifted players in that side, even if they were often overlooked. Players like Bruno Giordano, who Maradona considered one of the best he’d played with.
I’ve written about Giordano for the latest issue of Futbolista magazine. To be clear, there are many other excellent articles that make this a great buy. But I will admit that I’m quite pleased with how it shaped up.
There was one anecdote, however, that I simply couldn’t fit into the story. When Giordano was still playing for Lazio, Maradona would make it a point to search him out when Lazio were about to take a corner and, each time, he’d pester him to join Napoli. Surely, there cannot be better assessment of one’s talents then that!
Futbolista Issue 9 is for sale for just £7.99.
Last Week’s Most Read
There could have been no better way for Barcelona to show how much improvement they’ve made under Xavi then the 4-0 trashing they inflicted on Real Madrid. Apart from the manager, much of the turnaround is down to some judicious additions which Jordi Cruyff - who has been involved in the running of the club since last September - has had a key role in recruiting. And, while the financial problems remain, there will always be plenty of players eager to push through moves to Barcelona.